RTC assets sharing between AP, TS remains unresolved

Hyderabad: Even as the dispute between both AP and TS about sharing of RTC assets in and around Hyderabad remains unresolved, the newly appointed Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar took initiative to break the ice. In his communication with his counterpart PinepeViswaroop he discussed various unresolved issues which have cropped up following bifurcation.

During the communication with AP Transport Minister, Ponnam has discussed various issues related to transport and amongst them they also had brief discussion about the long pending issue which remains unresolved since bifurcation of the State. “AP Transport Minister Viswaroop spoke to me today. I am hopeful that this issue will be resolved amicably. There is no atmosphere of conflict on this. This issue will no longer remain neglected and will be resolved at the earliest,” he said. According to TSRTC sources, while both the TSRTC and APSRTC have been holding discussions to resolve the issue for years, this could not turn to fruition. Besides some dozen high valued properties in Hyderabad which have to be shared between the both States, other assets also need to be distributed. “Similar to several other issues which need to be resolved by the Central government, this issue has remained in limbo. Both the States are ready to resolve the matter and regular meetings are also going on in this endeavour. Now the ball is in the court of the Central government,” said an official.

The funds released by the Centre are under the name of APSRTC and both the States share based on the number of buses they operate. Both States for clear administrative ease have divided the Corporations and are doing balancing act. “Even this year both the States Corporations held meetings, with officials attending meetings in capitals of Telangana and AP. For instance, those buses towards AP from TS are getting good revenues, but those from AP towards TS are struggling. This is balanced by AP by collecting toll charges,” say sources.